It is believed that the Lakers would need to arrange a sign-and-trade for McKie to make the salary cap math work for the deal. McKie is not currently playing in the NBA but his rights are owned by the Lakers.

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Somewhere Michael Jordan is laughing... and trying to convince a 21 yr old co-ed that he used to be in the NBA.

This is such a bullshit trade. I wouldn't be able to get this through any kind of video game. I'm not a Grizz fan, but are you fucking kidding me? This is the best they could do for their best player ... ever?

Even if by some small chance Gasol busts, the Lakers are still the big winners here if ONLY because they finally got rid of Kwame Brown and his obscene contract. Now that's addition by subtraction! So long, Kwame! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Lakers were getting rid of Kwame's contract after the season, it's his last year. That's the only reason this deal got done, the only way you can get cap room in the NBA is to trade for players with bloated contracts before their contracts expire.

I think the Grizzles could've done better earlier and probably later, but they seem to have decided they had to make a trade right now. Two 2nd half 1st round draft picks and salary space is only a small step in rebuilding, but at least it's not trying to win with a bad team.

Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoThis is such a bullshit trade. I wouldn't be able to get this through any kind of video game. I'm not a Grizz fan, but are you fucking kidding me? This is the best they could do for their best player ... ever?

As a Grizz fan....yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking.

And now they'll be trading Swift to the Nets for Jason Collins, another guy averaging two points per game. At least Swift could dunk. And these moves should pave the way for more PT for Hakim Warrick.

Originally posted by thecubsfanLakers were getting rid of Kwame's contract after the season, it's his last year. That's the only reason this deal got done, the only way you can get cap room in the NBA is to trade for players with bloated contracts before their contracts expire.

Cubs is right on here. Brown's expiring contract is the big prize in the Grizzlie's side of the deal. Crittenton might be decent someday, but the Brown's contract is the point of the deal.

CRZ had to edit my profile and close my table for me before, but I did this one all by myself with Frosty's help!

I can't see an Odom/Gasol/Bynum front court being effective defensively, so I think Gasol is only passing through L.A. on his way to the swamps of Jersey for Kidd. Money would be close to working, and it would give the Nets a legitimite player back for Kidd rather than the flotsam and jetsam that Memphis got for Gasol, my apologies to flotsam and jetsam for comparing it to Kwame 'love child of Pervis Ellison and Joe Barry Carroll' Brown.

I long ago abandoned being a team of a certain NBA team (because nobody ever stayed on the same team) and instead only cheer for players that went to Florida. So all I can about this trade is poor Mike Miller.

Of course I am completely elated that Kwame "Frying Pan Hands" Brown is gone. That alone is enough for me. But being able to pick up Pau Gasol in the deal is just icing on the cake. Awesomely delicious icing.

AND AND AND that starting 5 effectively moves Odom from the #2 or 3 scoring option to #4 (Behind Kobe, Bynum, and Pau). And with that pressure taken off of his shoulders, that will HOPEFULLY allow him to become the player he shouldve been all along.

I was up this morning combing for more reading on the trade. Of all the articles I've read today, this was probably the best line:

Originally posted by ESPN.com's J.A. AdandeNow, amazingly, both the Lakers and Washington Wizards can say they were better off for having Brown. Not better off with him, but Washington traded Brown for Caron Butler, and now the Lakers have Gasol. Brown netted All-Stars for two franchises. That's a pretty good accomplishment for a No. 1 draft pick bust.

If anyone has the biggest potential for failure, it's Lebron. Of course, he also has the biggest upside. I fully believe that Darko will win RotY in 2003-04 simply because he's going to be playing for a Detroit team that's going to at least the finals.